Friday, August 31, 2012

Brian
Vickers has made the best of his part-time ride with Michael Waltrip Racing
this season. The question now is, will it pay off?

The former
NASCAR Nationwide Series champion was left high and dry when Red Bull Racing
cashed in its NASCAR chips at the end of the 2011 season. A tempestuous campaign
that included numerous wrecked race cars and on-track confrontations with Matt
Kenseth and Tony Stewart arguably lowered his stock in the NASCAR garage, and the
best offer he received for 2012 was a limited, six-race slate at the wheel of
MWR’s No. 55 Toyota.

Vickers has
taken that meager ball and run admirably with it, recording Top-5 finishes in
three of his six starts this season, en route to an average finish of 14.3.
That statistic would be even better if not for a blown engine suffered during
pace laps at Watkins Glen that relegated him to a disappointing, 43rd-place
showing.

There is no
doubt Vickers has made the most of his limited opportunities this year. And
yet, he is likely to take the green flag only twice more in 2012, with Mark Martin wheeling
the No. 55 Toyota in nine of the season’s final 12 races and Waltrip =slated
for duty at Talladega Superspeedway on October 7.

Thus,
despite a thoroughly impressive 2012 effort, it looks like another winter
filled with uncertainty for a driver who has faced more than enough uncertainty
in recent years.

Three Top-5 finishes in six starts

His 2010
season came to an early end after he was diagnosed with potentially life-threatening
blood clots in his leg and lungs. Surgery later that year to repair a congenital
heart defect cast his career in further doubt, and while he returned to the
sport after completing an arduous course of blood-thinning medications in
January of 2011, only to be left without a full-time ride when Red Bull bailed
out at season’s end.

At age 28, Vickers is hardly
in the twilight of his career. But after recording just two victories in 117
career Sprint Cup starts for Hendrick Motorsports and Red Bull Racing, the
North Carolina native is in danger of being surpassed by drivers just over half
his age. Quality seats are difficult to come by in this day and age, and while
MWR would like nothing better than to secure additional sponsorship, add a
fourth car and run Vickers full-time in 2012, the team has -- so far -- proven unable
to do so.

Similar scenarios apply at
Joe Gibbs, Richard Childress and Roush Fenway Racing; all of whom could expand
to four cars next season, but only after signing significant new sponsorship. The
open seat in Penske’s Racing’s No. 22 Shell Pennzoil entry will likely be
filled by either Sam Hornish, Jr., or Joey Logano next season, leaving Vickers
to compete for possible openings with the usual roster of mid-pack teams.

Sources say BK Racing has
expressed preliminary interest in Vickers, and Phoenix Racing could be
interested, if team owner James Finch is able to keep the doors open and driver
Kurt Busch goes elsewhere in 2013. Most likely, however, is a return to Michael
Waltrip Racing for another severely limited slate of events.

With his health and
competitive edge intact once again, Vickers clearly deserves better.

NAPA will continue as one of
the few full-time primary sponsors in the series, sponsoring all 36 NASCAR
Sprint Cup points races and the sport's two non-points events each season.

"NAPA and I have been
together a long time and they are family to me," said Michael Waltrip, who
founded MWR and co-owns the three-car team with Rob Kauffman. "They have
been to Victory Lane with me, helped me launch my own race team and have been
our team's biggest supporter through the years. It is hard to describe how
grateful I am that NAPA feels good enough about our organization to continue
this partnership."

Waltrip said re-signing
Truex, who began racing for MWR in 2010, has been a priority.

"Re-signing Martin was huge for us. We've given him competitive race cars
and engines this year and he's been able to showcase his talent. Where I am
most proud of Martin is off the track. He has dedicated himself to be a leader
in our organization and has accepted his role as an ambassador for our
sponsors. His work with NAPA, Toyota, AAA, along with his foundation work, has
shown his maturity as a person and he makes me proud."

Truex's 2013 NAPA Toyota

MWR, Truex and NAPA have
enjoyed unprecedented success in 2012. Currently fifth in Sprint Cup driver
points and battling for a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship, Truex
owns five Top-5 and 13 Top-10 finishes this season; all career bests.

"Driving the NAPA Auto Parts Toyota means the world to me," said the
32-year-old Mayetta, N.J. native. "I knew when I signed on for the 2010
season that we had a lot of work to do to get the performance to where NAPA
would be proud of us, and I also knew I had big shoes to fill in that NAPA
uniform because Michael is the best at being an ambassador for sponsors. It is
so gratifying that the hard work has paid off with competitive race cars every
week. And I am more comfortable than ever that NAPA is my sponsor and I am
their driver. It's my job to do everything I can to make sure we are together
for the rest of my career."

The company said its affinity for NASCAR has never been stronger. "We put
a lot of time in evaluating where we choose to spend our marketing dollars and
decided NASCAR continues to be a good fit for us. The sport garners tremendous
fan support whose loyalty to NASCAR sponsors is unsurpassed and for that we are
most appreciative," said Paul Donahue, President of Genuine Parts Company.
"Once we decided on NASCAR, we determined that MWR was the team we wanted
to continue to support. No other team has shown the improvement that MWR has
over the past few seasons. We have been very pleased with the performance of
Martin Truex, Jr. and the entire No. 56 NAPA team. Martin as well as all the
folks at Michael Waltrip Racing continue to represent NAPA in a positive manner
and we look forward to a successful partnership both on and off the
track."

Almirola replaces Paulie Harraka at the wheel of the No. 5 Ford,
after Harraka struggled to a 22nd-place showing in championship
points. He did not compete in the series’ last two events, after being replaced by Scott
Riggs and Johnny Chapman in a pair of start-and-park efforts at Michigan and
Bristol. He is not expected to return to the Wauters Motorsports entry.

Almirola has two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series wins with team
owner Richie Wauters as the crew chief, winning at both Dover and Michigan in
2010. He has also made three previous starts at Atlanta's tricky, high-speed
quad-oval in the Truck Series, with a best finish of third in that same 2010
season.

Wauters has had tremendous success as a crew chief at the
1.54-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway, with four wins, five Top-5, and seven Top-10
finishes in 12 start. Rimrock Design and Quick Lane Tire and Auto Center will
also support the No. 5 Ford as associate sponsors at Atlanta.

The Jeff Foxworthy's Grit Chips 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway is
slated for Friday August 31stat 8:00 pm ET. The national television broadcast
on SPEED starts at 7:30pm ET. The event will be broadcast via radio worldwide
on Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

This week’s Goodyear tire
test at the newly repaved Kansas Speedway is now complete, with a Goodyear
spokesman saying the company now has the information it needs to finalize a tire
compound for the track’s NASCAR race weekend in October.

Earnhardt was uninjured in a
crash early in Wednesday’s final session, but was forced to withdraw.

Greg Stucker, Goodyear's
Director of Race Tires, expressed happiness with the test, saying, "After
two days of testing at Kansas, we saw what was expected of a newly repaved
track -- smooth, black asphalt and a considerable amount of grip. It took about
a half-day of running with the nine cars involved in the test, but the track
took rubber nicely and a narrow groove developed. We expect that groove to
widen out during the race weekend.

“The recently-raced Michigan
tire package was our 'control' for the test, with several other options in that
compound range evaluated. That proved to be the correct choice based upon tire
temperatures, wear and driver comments, and I'd say it is currently the leading
candidate for our Kansas race tire."

NASCAR will return to Kansas for its Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series race
weekend on October

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

It’s been a rough couple of months for defending
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart.

In his last eight starts,
Stewart has managed just one win (at Daytona in early July), two Top-5 and
three Top-10 finishes. An average finish of 17.25 over that span has dropped
him from a high of fifth in points to his current 10th-place
ranking, just 16 points ahead of a suddenly surging Kasey Kahne.

Based on last year’s results,
Smoke has the competition right where he wants them.

Last year at this time,
Stewart was also failing to impress. Over the same eight-race span, he had just
three Top-10 finishes, none of them better than second. His average finish was 13.25,
and he ranked no higher than ninth over that eight-race period. He snuck into
the 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup through the back door, telling all who
cared to listen that he had no business being there and was just taking up
space.

"Our stuff is so bad
right now," said Stewart almost a year ago today. "We're wasting one
of those Top-12 spots."

He then embarked on one of
the most amazing hot streaks in the history of the sport, winning five of the
final 10 races – including a 118-cars-passed masterpiece in the season finale
at Homestead Miami Speedway -- and capturing the Sprint Cup championship over
rival Carl Edwards in a tiebreaker.

If lowered expectations line
the road to success in NASCAR, Stewart may once again be ready to contend for
the title. After all, he crashed out of Saturday night’s IRWIN Tools Night Race
at Bristol Motor Speedway while leading, battling door-to-door with Matt
Kenseth with the kind of damn-the-torpedoes ferocity that marked his 2011 Chase
performance.

If Smoke flames out of the
2012 title chase, it won’t be for a lack of trying.

﻿﻿﻿﻿Fans have come to expect speed and danger on the track at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but on Oct. 13 they’ll be looking up – way up – at an aerial exhibition during the Bank of America pre-race show presented by Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

﻿

Wallenda will perform at CMS

World-famous tightrope walker Nik Wallenda,
who made headlines earlier this year when he traversed a 1,500-foot span across
Niagara Falls on live television, will bring his high-wire thrill show to
Charlotte Motor Speedway.

In 1977, CMS became one of the first tracks
to host elaborate pre-race shows, and through the years, fans have witnessed a
reenactment of the Battle of Grenada; a three-ring circus; numerous
world-record automobile stunts; a 5,000-member marching band; and an assemblage
of 5,000 firefighters honoring the heroes of Sept. 11, 2001.

“We always strive to give fans an
unforgettable race day experience,” said Marcus Smith, president and general
manager at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “This year, Nik wowed us all at Niagara
Falls, and now fans can see him in action at the greatest place to see the
race. Whether it’s on the track or in the air, the Bank of America 500 will be
a combination of entertainment and thrills that only Charlotte Motor Speedway
can deliver.”

Wallenda, a six-time Guinness World Record
holder for various acrobatic achievements, will walk a 5/8-inch wide wire from high
above the frontstretch grandstands, more than 750 feet to a crane set up behind
Victory Circle. At times, the wire will be more than 100 feet – 10 stories –
above the ground, and his total walk will equal the length of two-and-a-half
football fields.

This year’s performance marks the 26th
anniversary of The Flying Wallendas’ high-wire act at Charlotte Motor Speedway
in 1986, Nik’s predecessors walked from the grandstands to pit road as part of
a circus-themed prerace show.

“I’m honored to continue the great Wallenda
family tradition performing at Charlotte Motor Speedway,” said Wallenda. “The
speedway has always set the bar for pre-race entertainment and excitement, and
I’m looking forward to raising that bar to new heights this year.

“NASCAR drivers are used to driving on the
edge, and in my job, it’s really no different,” he said. “It takes an extreme
level of focus and commitment to your craft to be successful, and there’s
really nothing quite like the thrill of being out there and performing.”

With the Bank of America Weekend Pass, fans can
obtain a reserved frontstretch seat to the Bank of America 500 (Oct. 13), the
Dollar General 300 (Oct. 12) and Bojangles' Pole Night & UNOH Southern Slam
150 (Oct. 11), beginning at just $99. Fans can also add a choice of a scanner
rental, NASCAR Hall of Fame Ticket or Race Shop Tour upgrade for just $25. To
purchase tickets, call the Charlotte Motor Speedway ticket office at
1-800-455-FANS (3267) or visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.

Carl Edwards didn’t even wait for hte question to be asked
today, before launching a pre-emptive strike to quell internet reports of his
impending departure to Penske Racing to drive the No. 22 Sprint Cup Series Ford
next season.

Edwards told reporters in a media teleconference today that he has a
standing contract with Roush Fenway Racing, and intends to honor it.

"No one has asked me specifically about it, but there's a lot of talk
about me driving the 22 car next year," said Edwards. "I want
everybody… in the media to know that's impossible.

"I haven't discussed that ever, with anyone at Penske,” he insisted. “I'm
contracted to drive the 99 car. I'm very excited about next season (with RFR),
and that's what's happening, in case anybody wants to know.” Edwards said the
unfounded speculation has “gotten bad enough that sponsors and folks are asking
me about it. I have to try to address that now and make sure you know I'll be
driving the 99 car next year for sure.

"I don't ever talk about specifics of my contract," he said.
"Those are private contracts. I think there's even a line in there that
says I can't talk about specifics of my contract, and neither can other folks
(with the team). I don't want to talk about any of those specifics, but I can
tell you this; I will be driving the 99 Fastenal Ford next year.”

Edwards also scoffed at reports that Shell/Pennzoil will jump from Penske
Racing to Roush Fenway next season to sponsor his No. 99 Ford, adding that he
never considered the speculation worthy of comment until today.

“I thought that was so silly that it had (no) traction,” he said. “But I
guess it had."

In a move GodfatherMotorsports.com readers first learned
of back on June 26, the worst-kept secret in NASCAR will finally be revealed next
Tuesday, when Joe Gibbs Racing introduces former Sprint Cup Series champion
Matt Kenseth as the new driver of its No. 20 Home Depot Toyota, beginning in
2013.

Team president J.D. Gibbs
said last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway that there is still a chance they
will retain driver Joey Logano for 2013, as well, if sponsorship can be found
to field a fourth Sprint Cup Series entry. Logano will reportedly not be a part of Tuesday's
announcement in Atlanta, which serves as the corporate headquarters of sponsor Home
Depot.

JGR had hoped to secure
part-time schedules in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series’ for Logano
next season; a proposal Gibbs said the driver “was OK with that until another
opportunity came up." Logano is also a leading candidate to drive the No.
22 Shell Pennzoil Ford for Penske Racing next season.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., was
treated and released from the Infield Care Center at Kansas Speedway this
morning, after a hard crash during the second day of a scheduled Goodyear tire
test at the speedway.

Earnhardt’s Hendrick
Motorsports Chevrolet reportedly suffered a right-front tire failure and made
heavy contact with the outside wall. The car was severely damaged, but
Earnhardt walked from the Infield Care Center under his own power. He is one of
eight drivers testing on the newly repaved 1.5-mile tri-oval today,
as Goodyear researches a new tire compound for use at the speedway. In addition
to replacing the track’s aging asphalt, crews reworked its 15-degree banking to
new, variable degree banking ranging from 17-20 degrees.

Earnhardt said yesterday that the
changes were noticeable in the first and second turns, but less so at the other
end of the speedway. Track president Pat Warren said driver feedback has been
positive so far. Adding, “The general perception of drivers is not positive
about repaves. They worry about what the track is going to be like when they
come back (and) they worry about what kind of grip they're going to have. The
response from the drivers was overwhelmingly positive about the new configuration."

NASCAR returns to
Kansas on Sunday, Oct. 21 for the sixth event in the 10-race Chase for the
NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Rockingham
Speedway will host the biggest single day of championship stock car racing in
the track’s 47-year history on Saturday, Nov. 3 with the inaugural running of
the “Classic 3 Championship Presented by
the RCR Racing Museum.”

The
first-time event will feature championship-deciding races for the NASCAR
K&N Pro Series East, UARA-Stars Late Models and Frank Kimmel Street Stock
Series, all in one jam-packed afternoon of excitement on the one-mile Rockingham oval.

“I’m
a big believer in `Go big or go home,’” said Rockingham Speedway president Andy
Hillenburg in announcing the event. “Most people would be satisfied to host the
final point-counting race for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. But my first
thought was, `How do we make this even bigger?’ With the help of Richard
Childress and his staff at the RCR Racing Museum, I think we’ve managed to do exactly
that.”

“Rockingham
Speedway has been a special place to RCR for decades, so it’s great to be
teaming up with Andy Hillenburg and his staff for this amazing day of crowning
champions in three different stock car series,” said Richard Childress,
president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “Andy took a big gamble a few
years ago to bring `The Rock’ back to life and it’s paying off with a lot of
hard work from everyone involved. The RCR Racing Museum is home to a number of
cars that made history at Rockingham so we’re proud to be a part of the Classic 3 Championship presented by the RCR
Racing Museum.”

﻿

KNPSE contenders Moffitt (L), Elliott and Lajoie (R)

A
trio of former Rockingham Speedway winners will lead the NASCAR K&N Pro
Series East charge on Nov. 3. Chase Elliott (son of 1988 NASCAR Cup Series champion
Bill Elliott), Corey Lajoie (son of two-time NASCAR Busch Series king Randy Lajoie)
and Brandon McReynolds (son of Daytona 500 winning crew chief and TV analyst
Larry McReynolds) have all tasted victory at “The Rock” in recent seasons, and
Elliott and LaJoie are solidly in contention for the 2012 K&N Pro Series
title. They will be joined by current point leader Brett Moffitt, runner-up
Kyle Larson and series veteran Eddie MacDonald as top threats for the checkered
flag.

In
the battle for the 2012 UARA-Stars Late Model Series championship, Travis Swaim
holds a 121-point advantage over Dillon Bassett, with a number of other drivers
within striking distance of the title. The Frank Kimmel Street Stock Series has
quickly become a fan favorite at Rockingham, with huge fields of “hometown heroes”
battling wheel-to-wheel in their low cost, stock bodied machines. As many as 90
Street Stock entries will take the green flag on Nov. 3 in the finale of the “Classic 3 Championship Presented by the RCR
Racing Museum.”

“I
couldn’t ask for a better place to end the season than Rockingham,” said
Lajoie. “It’s a great facility; big and fast enough to just put the hammer down
and run as hard as you can, all day long. It’s a perfect track to learn what
you need to know to race in the Camping World Truck, Nationwide and Sprint Cup
Series’ one day.”

Friday
will feature practice and qualifying for all three divisions, followed by a Pit
Party/Autograph Session on the track’s front stretch. Grandstand admission is
free for Friday’s events.

Saturday’s
schedule begins with driver introductions for the UARA-Stars Late Model Series
at 11:30 a.m., followed by the green flag for their 75-lap main event. The
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will follow with a 100-lap championship race,
with the 75-lap finale for the Kimmel Street Stock Series closing the program
at approximately 3:30 p.m.

Saturday
adult-admission tickets are just $20 in advance, or $30 at the gate on race
day. Kids age 12 and under are half-price. Reserve your seats now by calling
the Rockingham Speedway ticket office at (910) 205-8800, or online at www.rockinghamspeedway.com. Every ticket is
also good for a special, $3 admission to the RCR Racing Museum in Welcome, NC.

It’s hard to
believe it’s been almost 20 years since Jeff Gordon made his NASCAR Cup Series
debut.

On November 15,
1992, Gordon took the green flag at Atlanta Motor Speedway, driving the No. 24
DuPont Automotive Finishes Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. Today, four
championships, 86 victories and nearly 20 years later, Gordon returns to the
site of his first start; a race that also featured the final career outing for "King" Richard Petty and a tight
championship battle won by owner/driver Alan Kulwicki.

"I don't
remember too much about the weekend,” admits Gordon of that day, which
culminated in a 21st 31st place finish after being involved in an accident. “But
I do remember Richard walking through the garage with a huge number of fans
with him. He gave us money clips with our starting position during the driver's
meeting; something I still have to this day.

"Other than
that, (it was) not that memorable of a race for me."

One Atlanta race
that Gordon will not forget was last year's event, which ran on Tuesday evening
after being delayed by rain. Gordon out-dueled Hendrick Motorsports teammate
Jimmie Johnson in the late laps to capture his 85th career victory and move into
sole possession of third place on NASCAR's all-time career win list.

"I expect
the track to be a lot faster at night (this weekend)," said Gordon, who
has five wins, two poles, 15 Top-5 and 24 Top-10 finishes in 38 starts at the
Georgia speedplant. "But I think we will still be able to race high, low
and everywhere in between.

...and now!

"I think
one of the reasons so many drivers and teams love this place is the track has a
lot of grip, a lot of banking and is a very fast race track - especially when
looking at the qualifying speeds. It's very fast during the race, but it has a
lot of fall off. Tire wear is significant and the balance of the car changes
throughout a run."

While there have
been many changes over the last 20 years -- competitors, manufacturers, car
models, tracks, etc. -- one constant has been the combination of Gordon,
Hendrick Motorsports and DuPont.

"They took
a chance on me, there is no doubt about that," said Gordon. "But it
turned into a great partnership.

The National Motorsports
Press Association has selected Rockingham Speedway President Andy Hillenburg as
the second quarter winner of its NMPA Speedway Motorsports Spirit Award.

The award is designed to
recognize character and achievement in the face of adversity, sportsmanship and
contributions to motorsports. Quarterly winners are selected each year, with an
overall winner determined by a vote of the National Motorsports Press
Association membership.

Hillenburg was selected
for his efforts to return Rockingham Speedway to prominence. He bought the
track at auction in October 2007 and in April of this year hosted NASCAR’s return
to the legendary North Carolina track for the first time since 2004.

Monday, August 27, 2012

With
two races remaining the regular season, four drivers have punched their tickets
to the 2012 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Point
leader Greg Biffle, five-time series champion Jimmie Johnson and perennial Most
Popular Driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. all received the black-and-yellow hats
indicative of clinching a spot in the Chase Saturday night at Bristol Motor
Speedway. A fourth driver, former champion Matt Kenseth, locked-up at least a Wild
Card berth, and can officially clinch his spot this weekend at Atlanta Motor
Speedway.

If
the 2012 title were contested only among those four drivers, it’d be one heck
of a battle.

It
won’t, of course, leaving eight additional positions to be filled by the time
the Sprint Cup Series rolls out of Richmond International Raceway two weeks
from Saturday.

Five
drivers have at least a mathematical chance to claim a non-Wildcard spotin the
Chase this weekend at Atlanta Martin Truex, Jr., Clint Bowyer, Brad Keselowski,
Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick. It is unlikely that all will do so, however,
meaning that we’ll likely go to Richmond with at least a handful of Chase spots
still undecided.

A
win at Atlanta will lock up at least a Wild Card spot for Hamlin, Harvick and
Stewart. Depending on the Sunday’s final results, Bowyer, Keselowski, Hamlin,
Stewart, Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch could all clinch at least a Wild Card spot.

For
what it’s worth, here are the clinch scenarios for the four drivers whose
destinies are entirely in their own hands this weekend.

Matt Kenseth

40th
and no laps led

41st
and at least one lap led

42nd
and most laps led

Martin Truex Jr.

14th
and no laps led

15th
and at least one lap led

16th
and most laps led

Clint Bowyer

11th
and no laps led

12th
and at least one lap led

13th
and most laps led

Brad Keselowski

7th
and no laps led

8th
and at least one lap led

9th
and most laps led

With
any luck, we’ll spend most of next Saturday night at RIR with calculators in
hand, trying to discern who’s in -- and who’s out -- of the Chase, based on a
position lost (or gained) on the race track.

Speedway Motorsports CEO Bruton Smith was dead wrong in his attempt to
narrow the usable racing groove at Bristol Motor Speedway by grinding down the
outside lane.

Call it the best mistake of Smith’s life.

Since 1961, the track known as “Thunder Valley” has been famous for
no-holds-barred, bare-knuckled stock car racing; the modern-day equivalent of
Christians vs. Lions. Fans loved it, filling the seats to capacity, season
after season, and making Bristol the eighth-largest sporting venue in the world.
One of the toughest “gets” in professional sports, Bristol’s 160,000 tickets
became the subject of divorce decrees and wills.

At least, that is, until 2007, when Smith decided a face lift was in order.

The bombastic owner/promoter hired a platoon of engineers to turn the
venerable, 36-degree oval into a new, concrete bullring, complete with
modern, variable-degree banking. While the rebuild was an artistic success,
producing long stretches of side-by-side racing for the first time in the track’s
history, fan reaction was mixed, at best. Raised on a steady diet of
volatility, carnage and mayhem, longtime patrons rebelled against the new, more
genteel Bristol.

It was like buying tickets to the Roller Derby, then sitting through a
performance of the Bolshoi Ballet.

The carnage was back at Bristol

Ticket sales plummeted, forcing Smith to announce that he would rework
Thunder Valley once again, grinding down the track’s uppermost groove in an
effort to force a return to the good old days when, in order to pass a man, you
first had to move him.

It didn’t work, at least not entirely.

Drivers began Saturday night’s IRWIN
Tools Night Race as expected, racing solely in the track’s bottom two
grooves. But as the event progressed, they gradually expanded the racing lane
upward. By the time the race reached its halfway point, Smith’s off-limits high
lane had inexplicably become the fast way around, creating an unintended
amalgam of both the old Bristol, and the new.

Drivers could still pass, as evidenced by a robust 22 lead changes among 13
different drivers. It wasn’t easy, however, and 13 caution periods slowed
Saturday’s race; the most for a Bristol 500-miler since the rebuild. Tempers
flared – just like in the old days – with former series champions Tony Stewart
and Matt Kenseth wiping each other out while racing for the lead on lap 333.
Stewart climbed from his steaming, wrecked racer and hurled his helmet at
Kenseth’s passing car, striking it flush between the headlights with a high,
hard one that brought the faithful to their feet with the kind of lusty roar that
had not been heard at Thunder Valley since 2007.

Danica was not happy with Regan Smith (78)

Stewart resurrected the long-dormant Bristol vow of revenge shortly after,
pledging to “run over (Kenseth) every chance I get for the rest of the year.” Later,
Danica Patrick’s crew chief, Greg Zipadelli, threatened to strangle driver
Regan Smith, after contact with his No. 78 Chevrolet sent Patrick into the wall
and ended her night just 66 laps from the finish.

It was everything we loved best about Bristol. And more.

For the first time in memory, pit strategy played a role at BMS, keeping
the race’s final outcome in doubt until the late going. Not until Denny Hamlin
surged past a fading Carl Edwards to take the lead with 39 laps remaining did
the verdict become clear, and after claiming his third checkered flag of the
season, Hamlin gave Bristol Motor Speedway’s newest incarnation high marks.

“It’s a different kind of racing,” said Hamlin, confirming that the bottom
of the track was “not the fastest way around. It was the same (as the old
days),” he said. “We were all running in line, waiting on the next guy to screw
up to get around. That’s what you had to do at the old Bristol and that’s
exactly what we had to do today.

“I don’t think we saw as much side-by-side racing, but you didn’t see
side-by-side racing with the old Bristol, either,” said Hamlin. “You saw a
bunch of cars waiting in line to get knocked out of the way or mess up, and
that’s the same thing we had today.”

Multi-time Bristol winner Jeff Gordon went a step further, encouraging
Smith to “grind the whole place. That was awesome,” he said. “It reminded me of
old-school Bristol. It was pretty exciting.”

Things may not have worked out quite the way Smith had envisioned Saturday
night, but the end result is beyond dispute. Fans enjoyed great racing, with
enough mayhem to satisfy those for whom the Bolshoi Ballet will never do.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Trevor Bayne has been around
awhile. Since 2009, the Knoxville, Tenn., native has amassed 111 starts in the
NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series. Only once in that span has Bayne run a
complete season, however, taking part in all 35 Nationwide races in 2010 en route
to seventh place in the final season point standings. Even then, he was forced
to compete for two different teams, joining Roush Fenway Racing after a
late-season split with Michael Waltrip.

Throughout his big-time
NASCAR career, spotty sponsorship, health issues and other factors have limited
Bayne’s ability to compete. Even an upset win in the 2011 Daytona 500 failed to
earn him a full-time ride in the upper levels of NASCAR, a sobering fact that will be remedied next season.

With teammate Ricky
Stenhouse, Jr. slated to replace the departing Matt Kenseth in the No. 17 Ford next year, Roush Fenway Racing confirmed this week that Bayne will run for the 2013 Nationwide title in the No. 60 Mustang
currently wheeled by Stenhouse. While sponsorship is still being sought, Bayne
said the team has assured him of that full-time ride, in addition to another limited
schedule of events in the Wood Brothers Racing Sprint Cup Series Ford.

“They’ve told me that and it
sounds like it’s in concrete, but things can still change before the season
starts,” he said. “As of now, we’re going to run full-time Nationwide next
year.”

To that end, he admitted badgering
Roush for more Nationwide starts this season.

"This could be our last Nationwide race of the
season,” said Bayne. “I've been trying
to talk Jack into more (races), since he's wanting to run full-time next year,
for the championship with me in the car. I'd like to get my feet wet and get
some momentum going. I think that would be a good thing to do, just to get a
feel for the Nationwide cars again."

He reinforced that lobbying effort by winning the pole for tonight's Bristol Nationwide race.You can't fault a guy for trying.

Brad Keselowski said this week
that Hendrick Motorsports is more willing to play in the gray area of the
NASCAR rulebook than his Penske Racing team, taking chances and risking penalties
in areas that other teams are unwilling to explore.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. rode to his team’s defense today, telling reporters that Keselowski should talk less and drive more.

"I don't particularly like the things he says lately
about the company I drive for,” said Earnhardt at Bristol Motor Speedway.
“So I take offense to the claims and the accusations. It's just natural for me
to do that.”

While stopping short of accusing HMS of cheating, Keselowski
questioned how Hendrick has “tricked up" the cars of title contenders Earnhardt,
Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne. "There are parts and pieces
on the cars that are moving after inspection that make the car more competitive,”
he said. “Some guys have it, some don't. There's a question to the
interpretation of the rule. Penske Racing errs on the safe side, because we
don't want to be the guys that get the big penalty.

“I'm not going to
slam them for it. But it's living in a gray area (and) Roger doesn't do that.”

Brad is a really good guy,” said Earnhardt today of his
former JR Motorsports employee. “He has a pretty good heart. He is a really
great race car driver and I wish he would concentrate on that. I think he likes
to talk a lot, but I think his true skills shine on the race track, not
behind the microphone.”

“I like Brad,” he said. “We’re friends, and I don’t really
want any drama with him."

The all-new 2013 Ford Fusion Titanium, Official Pace Car of Ford
Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, will drive off the track and
into the driveway of one lucky fan, thanks to a combined effort between Ford
and Sprint.

Win the 2012 Homestead Pace Car!

The 2013 Fusion production car -- being revealed today at
Bristol Motor Speedway in advance of Saturday evening’s Irwin Tools Night Race – will hit dealer showrooms later this fall,
while the new 2013 NASCAR Fusion takes to the track beginning next year.

“In NASCAR, we are all about business-to-business, and
business-to-consumer integration,” said Tim Duerr, Ford Racing motorsport
marketing manager. “Sprint is one of our biggest partners at Ford Motor Company
as both a business partner and a partner within the sport.

“We are very excited about the all-new 2013 production Fusion
and the new 2013 Fusion race car that will compete next year,” said Duerr. “A
lucky consumer race fan is going to be able to win this car – which will have
some history to it as well – and that is very exciting.”

The Fusion pace car that will take the green flag at Homestead
was put through a shakedown run earlier this month at Ford’s Dearborn test
track by Ford’s NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers, including current point leader Greg
Biffle. It features a special paint scheme reminiscent of the Ford EcoBoost
paint scheme featured during the reveal of the 2013 NASCAR Fusion, and used by
many of Ford’s top race cars around the world during the month of August.

“I love the look of this car. It looks fast just sitting there,”
said Biffle. “The lucky fan that wins this official pace car will have a very
special piece. I put it through its paces and it did a darn good job. It is a
fun car to drive and they are going to have something special.”

NASCAR fans have from now through Sunday, Nov. 18 to enter The
Sprint “Win a Fusion Pace Car” Sweepstakes – powered by Ford, and there are a
number of different ways to register. They can log on to Sprint.com/Speed via
their smartphones or computer, but can also stop by the Sprint Experience,
Sprint’s mobile-marketing display located in the midway at every NASCAR Sprint
Cup Series race.

For those wanting to get an up-close and personal look at the
grand prize, it will be on display at the Sprint Experience for six upcoming
race weekends, including Bristol Motor Speedway, Richmond International
Raceway, Talladega Superspeedway, Kansas Speedway, Martinsville Speedway and
Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The winner also receives an all-expenses paid trip for two to
Las Vegas, where they will be presented their 2013 Ford Fusion Titanium at
“NASCAR After the Lap.” the fan event that is part of NASCAR Champion’s Week.